Jon Lester pitched into the eighth inning for the first time since May 10 Thursday night and won for the second straight start, following hard on the heels of a six-game winless streak.

But the good news may have ended there for the Red Sox, who staked Lester to a 7-0 lead in the second inning, then held off the Toronto Blue Jays, 7-4.

Pitching to Emilio Bonifacio in the top of the eighth, Lester bent over in discomfort after delivering a ball that ran the count to 3-and-0, and was forced to come out of the game. Lester said he landed awkwardly and felt a stinging sensation in his hip and down his leg. He said he felt fine after the game.

Junichi Tazawa finished out the eighth for Lester while Koji Uehara earned his second save in as many days with a clean ninth inning.

The Red Sox had pounded Toronto starter Chien-Ming Wang in the second as the first seven straight hitters reached base, all but one of them came around to score.

Four Red Sox hitters contributed run-scoring singles and Stephen Drew added an RBI-double, helped out by Jose Bautisita, who misplayed a ball in front of the bullpen.

Later in the inning, Dustin Pedroia ended a stretch of 110 at-bats without a homer when he launched a ball that just reached the MonsterSeats for a two-run shot.

The win cooled off the Jays at least a little bit. Toronto had come in having won 15 of its last 19.